Watch Me Fly
by armand0
Summary: Kara thinks of her life as pathetic, her parents are more focused on work, she has only one friend. Being reaped is a bittersweet thing for her, for once she will be noticed and will experience something new, but at what price? This story is about a young girl fighting for her life in a floating arena against 22 other tributes in the 104th annual hunger games.
1. Morning

I wake up to the high-pitched sound of my alarm clock, I let it ring for a bit before reaching over to silence it. I rise out of bed slowly and make my way to my bathroom, another day of school sadly I remind myself. I wet my face and dry it before heading to my closet to pick out a pair of dark jeans and a plain red shirt.I take a look at myself in the mirror, observing my face and blueish green eyes and my long unmanageable brown hair that reaches all the way down to my hips and my thin frame, I'm thinner than most 15-year-old girls, weighing roughly 105 lbs, strange considering I've been fortunate enough to always have food.

I stand there debating weather or not to wear a sweater, then my mom lightly knocks on my door before entering,

"How did you sleep sweetheart?" she ask

"Fine" I respond trying my best to sound awake and alert

"Come down for breakfast alright?" I give her a nod before she turns away to head downstairs.

I have a strange relationship between my parents, they're always busy with work at the solar-powered plant and for the majority of my life I've lived it alone. I grab a sweater, brush my teeth, put on my shoes and quickly give my hair a brush, then as I head downstairs I hear my dad

"There's my little girl! how did you sleep" he says with excitement as he takes a sip of his coffee,

"I slept great dad".

_I don't know how the hell my parents always have so much energy every morning_,I grab a piece of toast with butter.

"Kara you're going to have to walk home from school today, your father and i have to stay late at the plant today, so don't forget your key" my mom reminds me

"yeah I know" I respond pretending to care.

I finish my piece of toast and head toward the door to leave in a hurry trying to escape this place I call home, i open the door right as I my dad says

"hold on I can drop you off if you want!" I quickly decline the offer and start my walk to school.

I don't like drawing attention to myself, I'm already awkward as it is and being looked when I'm dropped off at school doesn't help and district 5 has a small school and not many people are driven to school so I would stand out like and not in a way I would like. Today is Friday, P.E day _ugh_ I let out a groan, I hate P.E for two reasons, one is changing in front of other girls and two, I'm the worst at all sports we play. Everything.

I make my way to the main entrance of my school and go to my locker to retrieve the books I need for my classes. I wait there alone until I see Aspen, my friend or you could say my best friend considering that's she's the only one I'm i feel close to. I walk toward her

"Hey" I say

"Hey, oh! It's P.E day"

"Please don't remind me"

"Haha sorry you know me, I just love ruining your day" she says with a smirking.

Aspen's been my friend since eight grade and now in tenth grade we have become pretty close. she's a bit taller than me, like most girls, and has more muscle than me and has shoulder length auburn hair, she's pretty much has become my best friend I can safely say.

We walk to our first class ,history. I like history class I like to imagine it as a story, a tragic story that has yet to have its happy ending. But we don't get taught much about what happened before the Dark Days and today we spent most class today talking about the 104th hunger games.

The reaping for it is tomorrow, and I am not nervous to be honest. I would actually love to go just so I could catch a glimpse of the outside and experience something new and exciting, but I think of the consequence of being reaped and change my mind quickly. I lost interest in history class once they go on taking about the past games and the attempted rebellion that started during the 75th hunger games, but was quickly stopped and the leaders of the rebellion were killed along with the entire population of district 12 when they bombed and destroyed it.

The day went by quicker than usual which I was happy about, I wait outside the entrance then spotting Aspen I start walking with her

"You're not getting picked up?" she asks

"Nope parents are staying late at the plant today" I explain.

A while later she ask "Hey what are you going to wear tomorrow"

"Don't know yet maybe just a simple dress. What are you wearing?"

"Probably just a dress too" we walk for a bit until she stops and says

"Hey look they're looking at you" she points toward a small group of boys around my age at the end of the street

"Yeah right"

"No seriously!" I take a quick glance toward their direction and meet the eyes of one of the boys and look away before I can even count how many of them there actually was.

Boys have never been a priority of mine, not like most girls my age who the majority already have boyfriends, maybe because I've never had a boyfriend or maybe because when boys try to flirt with me I get very uncomfortable and I get even more awkward, if that's even possible.

Aspen and I walk for a bit more until she turns toward the street that takes her towards her home and says bye. When I get home I unlock the door and go upstairs to my room and fall onto my bed.


	2. Alone

After an hour or so I decide to look for what I'm going to wear tomorrow. opening my closet I look around and then spot a white sun dress made of very soft cotton and has very nice detail at the bottom of it. I've never worn this dress I believe it was a gift from my birthday that was last year in July, I'll be 16 in two months.

I look around looking for shoes for tomorrow and find some white shoes that I don't like wearing. I sit there in my room, being alone isn't something new to me as an only child I've spent the majority of my life alone. I prefer being alone but we all have our limits and I think I've reached mine a long time ago.

I decide to take a bath to pass the time, I get in the warm water and start thinking about tomorrow and think what I would do if I was reaped how would I feel, what would I say, would anybody miss me? Of course my parents would and so would aspen I'm her best friend, well I think I'm her best friend. Then the thought of aspen being reaped comes to mind and I would be heartbroken and I would be left alone if she was chosen.

I keep thinking of tomorrow until my mind goes blank and I wake up to the sound of my dad outside my bathroom door

"Karabella? Karabella are you okay?"

"I'm fine dad" I shout out _I hate my name _I say to myself as I force body out of the water and dry my body with a towel.

He must have been worried, he never calls me by my full name only except when he's worried about me or upset. I must have fallen sleep, I dry myself off and get dressed in some pajamas before going downstairs.

"Sorry I fell asleep in the tub" I explain to my parents

"It's fine Kara, dinner will be ready in a bit sweetie" my mom responds. As an only child I don't have the relationship most people expect, mainly because they're more dedicated to their job at the factory than they are to me, my parents are the owners of a solar power plant that powers most of district 5.

I sit at table and serve myself a small serving of some pasta, which I'm not a fan of but it's what my mom makes on nights they work late. The talk about the plant between my parents doesn't interest me until my dad brings up the reaping tomorrow then my dad ask me

"Excited for tomorrow?"

"Why would I be excited?" I respond with an angered tone

"Well it's the reaping"

"That's nothing to be exited about dad some poor person is being chosen to be killed for entertainment! how would I ever be excited if anything I should be pissed!"

the table turns silent faster than I can blink and I can feel the tension in the air

"Can I be excused" I mutter as I leave to go to my room.

I don't know what happened down there, I never yell at my parents no matter how mad i am i always hold all my frustration in, but the fact that my dad though I was excited about the reaping tomorrow made me lose it. I get into my bed and the thoughts of two people being chosen tomorrow to fight to the death scares me but I try to ignore those horrible thoughts and try my best to go to sleep.

**Fixed the dialogue the best i could. hope you like the story and thanks for reading :D **


	3. I love you

The loud ringing of my alarm clock is the first this to greet me on the morning of the reaping, I stay in bed for about fifteen minutes or so before telling myself to get dressed. I go over to the dress I picked out yesterday and slide into it with ease and stare at my reflection in my mirror and run my hand over any wrinkles. Continuing to get ready I put on the shoes I loath wearing and brush my hair before putting it in a simple side braid. _Here we go_ I make my way downstairs, nervous because of the scene I made last night.

"Good morning"

"Good morning, the reaping is going I start in a bit we should get going"

"Yeah sure" I can tell by my parents stale tone that they're still pretty shaken by last nights incident.

Once we get to the town square I go my separate way and sign in, keeping an eye out for Aspen. I casually walk toward the fifteen year old section while scanning the sixteen year old section when I spot her talking to her friends which I'm not fond of. Unsure whether to go up to her or not I continue forward and find a spot in the middle row.

I stand there awkwardly and alone, mainly because I don't know anyone in this age group. I'm the youngest of my age group and since my birthday is over the summer I'm separated from my normal age group. When Marigold Riverwells finally arrives, late as usual, dressed in an obscure mismatched outfit consisting of pastel colors.

A lavender corset with light yellow lace detail along the breast and a pale pea green gown that was thigh length in front but cascading to ankle length toward the back paired with light salmon colored high heels that were missing the actual heel part of the shoe.

She went on ranting about why we have the Hunger Games each year and about the failed rebellion then went on to present the video that we watch every year.

"Now it's the time you've all been waiting for" she says with an excited tone

"Ladies first" I watch closely as her hand hovers above the slips of paper before deciding on a spot to reach in and she picks out the piece of paper with the name of an unfortunate girl that will soon meet her death.

"Karabella Holsterman" she reads clearly and and with an excited loud tone, in that moment I felt my throat tensing up and I could hear the whispers of people all around me saying my name and could immediately feel all the looks filled with pity and sorrow that were fixated on me as I was forcing my frozen legs to move toward the stage.

The walk up felt like a millennium and as I climbed the enormous stage and glance into the sea of eyes that are filled with sympathy for me. I felt my face getting warm in temperature and my eyes flooding with tears obscuring my vision and my mind racing with emotions but I tell myself _don't cry, they don't deserve to see you cry_.

Once on stage Marigold with a calm voice asks

"So dear what is your name?"

"K-kara Ho-Holsterman" I stutter trying my best not to break down

"Alright and now for the boys"

"Emery Pelvertin!" I don't notice the boy until he's on his way to the stage because I was to busy trying to locate my parents and Aspen.

Emery is a tall boy with a lean body and dark brown hair and hazel eyes, I don't recognize him but the name has been use around my school. We shake hands and I can see the fear in his eyes he also looks as if he is about to break down, I bet i look like that too.

We are led to the justice hall to say our final words to our loved ones before being sentenced to our deaths that will be broadcast for entertainment across the districts. Marigold behind the both of us telling about how incredibly lucky we are for being chosen for the Hunger Games.

_You're so fucking crazy_ I say to myself continuing forward. I take a moment to admire the interior of the building, I've never in my been inside here I find it interesting. I'm put into a fairly small room with bookshelves on each sides of the walls with a large couch in the middle of the room made of a beautiful red velvet type material. Before I can finish examining the entire room I hear a deep voice behind me say "three minutes" and as if on queue my parents enter.

I've never seen my dad cry, my mother has cried in front of me a couple of times due to a fight between my dad. But for the first time in my life both of them are crying, and if that's not crazy enough they're crying over me. I go up to both and hug them

"Don't cry, I'll be fine" I tell them with a doubtful tone

"We know Kara. Be strong, and we love you." My father says with a shaken tone "We don't say that enough but we genuinely love you and we would've spent more time with you"

"I love you guys too" I reply with tears falling out of my eyes. "times up" says the guard and I start to panic

"I love you!" I shout as they are ripped from my arms and taken out of the room. Once again I'm left alone.

***updated* Guys please leave review on anything you i can improve on or what you think of. please guys and ill update tomorrow! keep reading (if you'd like)**


	4. Doubt

I'm escorted to a car that will drive us to the train that takes us directly to the Capitol. I slowly climb into the backseat of the car and sit next to Marigold, I don't look at her but turn the other way and watch as we pass the buildings and kids that had the odds in their favor as they head home back to their families and I watch all the crowds of camera people who are following us to catch a glimpse of our reaction whether it be excitement or terror.

Before we climb out of the car I turn to make a quick glance at Emery, I see tears still falling from his eyes as he wipes them off his face trying to hide his emotions but it's no use anybody could see the fear and sadness he's feeling.

A thought goes through my mind and I think if that's his plan to win, pretending to look weak and vulnerable. Nonsense he's a pretty big guy compared to most boys at school, he has an athletic body while most boys are rather lanky and thin.

We step out of the car and make our way through a crowd of camera men that are calling out our names and shoving each other for a better angle and i step onto the glistening silver train. I walk into it and I'm overwhelmed by the luxurious furniture made of soft velvet material detailed with silk and other fabrics that I'm unfamiliar with and there are large tables set with beautifully arranged assortments of fruits and pastries and flowers that are of all colors imaginable.

"Take a seat make yourselves at home" Marigold says as all three if us take a seat and she touches a button on the wall and almost immediately a young woman with red hair and dressed in an outfit that is completely white comes in carrying a silver platter that has three silver cups of what I suppose is tea.

I take a cup and take a sip of the fragrant rose-colored liquid and it has a strange sweet flavor with a hint of a bitter aftertaste.

"She should be here any moment"Marigold says, I believe she means Erica Phelps the winner of the ninety seventh hunger games and our mentor.

Not much is spoken about her back in district 5 but she was surprisingly very strong and smart in her hunger games from what I can remember. She was 17 when she was reaped and she won with her strength and by killing the other tributes with her machete and she came back and she isn't seen much around but instead she stays locked in her home but I guess that's the consequence of winning living with the though of all the horrors of the arena and the games, but unlike most winners she hasn't become addicted to a substance or became insane which is very rare among victors.

She comes in and takes a seat next to marigold with a smile on her face, she has small bags underneath her eyes which makes her appear slightly tired.

"Hello there" Emery responds with a hey and I give her a smile then she goes straight to business

"Okay tell me about yourselves. strengths, weaknesses, any skills or talents?"

"I'm part of the schools soccer team" says Emery, _that's where I head his name! in the sports announcements _

"And you?" Erica looks at me with curiosity

"Uh I..uh I'm.. well I don't..really know"_ I can't say I'm useless because that'll makes me look like a complete dumb ass but it's the truth I'm completely useless_.

"That's fine I suppose, but I hope you're willing to learn because your life will depend on you being able to adapt to any environment and to be able to think fast and trust your instinct to survive" I stay quite and just think about me trying to survive in a forest or a desert or a snow-covered wasteland and thinking about being killed by a tribute.

"She's really smart. She's been on honor roll ever since I can remember" Emery informs her.

_ What? how do you know that_ I think to myself.

"So what? how is being on honor roll going to kill somebody?"

"don't underestimate smarts huh, sometimes strength is useless against wisdom" says Marigold as she keeps taking dainty sips of the rosey liquid.

"She's right being able to think smart and fast is very helpful in the arena so don't think you don't stand a chance" that gives me a bit of hope, maybe I might be able to survive or even win.

After a while of taking over survival tips Marigold shows us to our rooms and tells us that dinner will be ready in an hour. I sit on the bed and run my hand over the soft purple colored cotton and I suddenly miss home. I think back to when my parents were saying their goodbyes earlier today and I wonder why Aspen wasn't there. If she were reaped I surely would've been there to say goodbye and give her a hug, but she didn't even do that. Did she even think of me as a friend or did she only speak to me because she felt pity for me? _forget her_ I say to myself before any tears start to come out.

I take a shower which wasn't so simple due to the fact that the shower had so many buttons that did everything from spraying you with a lemon scented mist to changing to temperature and pressure of the water. I step out and press a button that dries me completely from head to toe and I go to the closet and look for something to wear, finally choosing a navy blue tunic and black leggings and some black flats and I continue to brushing my hair and putting it into a simple braid before Marigold knocks at my door to call me down to dinner.

I take a seat next to Emery and say hello to everybody at the table then looking down at a small bowl of what looks like a light brown thick soup with small vegetables and small pieces if meat in the center, I take a spoonful of it in my mouth and it taste very savory and I actually like the taste of it. We talk about the cornucopia and finding food and water and how to gain sponsors and after finishing a plate with a big slice of red velvet cake adorned with pearls made of sugar we move into the sitting room in which we watch the reaping and Emery's and I's competition.

District 1 has a tall 17-year-old boy with dark hair and blue eyes, _he's really cute_ I think to myself embarrassingly because for all I know he could be the one that kills me. The girl is 17 too and she has a very beautiful lean body and looks as if she is excited for being reaped. District 2 had a 16-year-old boy who is very muscular and has deep olive skin and looks absolutely vicious the 17-year-old girl with pale skin and jet black hair looks just as frightening. District 4 has an 18-year-old boy with blonde hair and brown eyes who walk to stage nonchalantly and that bugs me a little for some reasons and the 16-year-old girl with strawberry blonde hair a face dotted slightly with freckles has an unnerving smirk to her face as she walks to stage as if she has a secret weapon or something.

We see ourselves and I look like a complete idiot, not that I'm surprised District 8 has the youngest tribute a 13-year-old girl. Once the District 11 tributes are shown we turn off the TV and we head out separate ways to go to bed, in my room I take off my outfit and put on a silk night-dress to sleep in. That night I stayed up for about an hour just thinking of many thoughts like why Aspen didn't come to say bye, how the Capitol will look like, my competition in he games, the type of arena. After a while if thinking I slowly being to fall asleep.


	5. Glam

I wake up early, around 6, which is strange. I lay in bed without any thought, just laying there and enjoying the silence and the feeling of the soft cotton on my arms and tears start to run down my face. I don't bother to wipe them away I don't even bother to move, I can't. After a while of crying I decide to take a shower and get ready for breakfast, I make my way to the bathroom and slip out of the night-dress and step into the warm water.

Once I dry myself I walk to the closet and pick out some light washed jeans and a fitted long sleeve shirt and some simple flats and decide to not even bother with my hair. I fall back onto my bed and stay in the position I landed in, I feel absolutely helpless, I'm not even scared anymore or even upset I have no way of describing the hopelessness and despair I'm experiencing. I just want this whole thing to be over with, I jump a little when I hear marigold knock at my door to call me down to breakfast.

I step out of my room and toward the dining room and see Erica at the table with a bowl of what looks like a violet colored mush and emery serving himself a plate of eggs and sausage.

"Good morning" I say to everyone "Good morning" Erica replies with a smile and I continue to start serving myself eggs and bacon and a small serving of the light purple substance I saw Erica eating.

I sit down at the table and immediately start to eat, once we all finish our meal Erica tells us that we'll be arriving to the Capitol in about half an hour, the announcement makes my stomach turn. She goes on about how we will be meeting our stylist and they will be preparing us for the chariot ride and how this is an important moment to make a first impression and to also gain sponsors.

We go to the sitting room and emery and Erica continue to talk about past games and strategies and I sit there and do what I do best, nothing. I look out the window and my heart drops as I see us approaching what it looks like the Capitol.

"Uh, are we here?" I ask nervously

"Yesss! We've finally arrived" Marigold says with an excited tone.

_no why. why so soon_, I say to myself.

Erica then tells us to smile and to look confident when we step out of the train. the train comes to a complete stop and we head toward the exit following marigold and Erica and the doors open and ,as hard as it was, I forced the best smile I could make and step out of the car and into the crowd of people, who look more like a hybrid of aliens and clowns, and camera men then some peacekeepers take my hands and walk me quickly into a building that is about twenty feet in front of me. once inside I look around for emery and Erica but they're no where in sight, I start to panic and tell myself to keep calm and to breathe.

The peacekeepers take me into a room and then close the door to leave, the room has what looks like a surgery table with a tray next to it that holds many kinds of instruments and tools. I take a seat on the table and then two strange, and slightly scary, dressed people come in the room and introduce themselves. the man with ice blue hair and lavender dyed skin with a metallic eye shadow is named Zale, he starts to brush my hair and the woman with tan skin and hair that is a deep teal at the top and transitions to a red color toward the bottom she has metallic nails and orange dots that look like freckles on her cheeks is named Altana, she ask me to remove my clothes so they can prepare me for my stylist.

"Your hair is so long and beautiful!" Zale compliments me as he washes it with warm water.

"Thanks" I say awkwardly, nobody has ever complimented me on my hair or even complimented me at all.

Altana is smoothing out my nails and plucking my eyebrows.

"you're not as in bad shape as last years tributes, they were a mess at least you shave" Altana says with a humorous tone.

They start to wax the few hairs I have on my body and then rub me with a lotion that has a pleasant scent of lemon .

"You're done! Phoebus will be here in a bit" Zale informs me, they put away the instruments and say bye and exit the room.

I look down at my naked body and think about what outrageous outfit ill be wearing tonight, Phoebus walks in wearing a tight plain white v-neck shirt and some tight pants that look like some leather type material and some black boots to match, he has dark red hair , obviously dyed, that is short on the sides and longer in the front and it is styled up, he has a light stubble growing.

He has a warm and friendly look to him, and a very defined jaw line and he is actually very handsome, I say hi to him as I cover my chest with my arms

"Hello Karabella. wait what do you prefer being called? I noticed you called yourself Kara during the reaping"

"K-kara" I respond.

"Alright Kara. So stand up let me see what I'm working with" I hesitate to get up but I keep my hands crossed

"You have gorgeous hair. And a beautiful figure"

"That's a first, but thanks"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that nobody's ever really complimented me until today"

"Well it's the truth"

"So what am I going to be wearing tonight?"

"I want to emphasize you're figure and you're gorgeous face" he reaches up and brushes my hair out of my face.

•••

I stare at my reflection in front of me with a mixed feeling of awe and discomfort.

"Holy shit, I-I look incredible"

"You always did, I just helped emphasized it"

I look at the navy blue sun-dress that is knee length and fitted above my waist and is flowy below my waist, it has a warm yellow colored lighting blot shaped line that starts at the collar and reaches the end of the dress in front. Phoebus paired the dress with yellow platform stilettos that matches the lighting bolt. He kept my hair down with light waves, And he kept to makeup very natural.

A while later he tells me it's time and I follow him out of the room and down up an elevator. He can tell I'm nervous, which is why he looks over at me and gives me a smile and tells me to keep my chin up.

We step out of the elevator and make our way to the chariot with the number five on it and I see Emery with a woman with short green hair talking to Marigold which I assume is his stylist. Emery looks handsome, he's wearing yellow pants in the same shade as the lightning bolt on my dress and a white shirt with a black lightning blot on it with a navy blue blazer and matching loafers. Our eyes meet when I approach the chariot,

"Hey, you look stunning" he says with a smile

"Thanks, um you look great too"

"Thanks" he says with a little laugh

"Okay both of you start getting on the chariot"

I make my way on top and so does Emery, then Phoebus says "hold on, I forgot this" he hands me two gold bangles with what looks like a small light bulb on it and tells me to put it on. I put one on and hand the other to Emery, and I see the chariot carrying the district 1 tributes being to move forward, I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I open my eyes when I feel the chariot move forward, I start to wobble and try my best to keep my balance looking over at Emery who looks just as scared as I do.

We head toward the gate and then out bracelets start to light up and so does the yellow fabric on my dress, I look around and see a massive crowd of people cheering and screaming, they're waving at me, blowing kisses, screaming my name I've never had so many people focus on me before, I look at Emery with a smile and he seems to be in shock like me, we come to an easy stop and I look behind us and see the 7 other chariots making their way next to us.

When district 11 joins all the other chariots President Alo rises from his seat and beings his speech about why The Hunger Games were created and why our sacrifice is important,

_bull shit_ I say to myself. He was made president after the death of President Snow during the 87th Hunger Games, after he ends his long speech the chariots move into the building that will be our home and where we will train and prepaid ourselves for the Hunger Games.

Once our chariot stops again we climb down and are greeted by marigold and Erica and our stylist.

"You both looked amazing" Erica tells us as she leads us all to the elevator.

Our rooms are on level 5, we're there in no time and the room is incredible. I have never seen or could ever imagine such luxury, the floors are white with gold specks in them, the chandelier is a beautiful gold structure with delicate crystals hanging from it like frozen rain drops and the view is just as beautiful, it over looks the entire Capitol, the beautiful and colorful buildings and lights take my breath away.

Marigold shows us our room and wants us to come down to dinner in a bit. I sit down on the soft bed and look out the window, thinking about how all the tributes might feel. Do they all feel like I do? I ignore my question and decide to head to dinner.

Dinner is an incredible meat that is cooked to perfection topped with vegetables cut into little shapes, that was followed by a cake that was a vibrant purple color and topped with a white butter-cream and eatable gold shavings. Everybody spent the majority of dinner talking about the other tributes, I of course didn't participate in the conversation.

After everybody was finished with the amazing dessert they took the conversation to the living room I tagged along and we all watched to chariot ceremony, I thought I looked amazing but I never imagined that I would look like a completely different person, I look stunning. I watched as the faces of the other tributes pass and most are dressed in outrageous, and almost humorous, costumes. I look over at Phoebus and he gives me a reassuring smile that gives me a sense of comfort and a small spark of hope and confidence. shortly after we watched all the tributes me and emery go up to our rooms, once alone I take one last look of myself in the beautiful dress that could possibly be the reason I gained a few sponsors and allow me to stay alive longer in the games.

I take off the dress and the shoes, I wash off the makeup and decide to go to bed. tomorrow is our first day of training, the first time ill see all the other tributes face to face and the first time everybody will see how useless and pathetic I am. I change positions and ignore my doubt and try to get all thoughts about the games, and the other tributes out of my head.

**leave reviews! anything i could work or change? what you like or hate about this story?**

**thanks for reading and leave reviews please! **


	6. Inferior

I rise up and out of my dreamless sleep, check the time and realize I have roughly thirty minuets to get ready before we head to the training arena. I decide to skip my shower today and just brush my still soft and slightly wavy hair, and wash face with cold water to help wake me up and bush my teeth.

An outfit has been left for me to wear and I put on the dark blue tank top with a silver metallic 5 on the back and black pants and simple black boots and leave to head toward the dinning room.

As expected Emery and Erica are eating and taking.

_ I bet they think I'm a lazy piece of crap_, I think as I grab a plate and serve myself some fruit and oatmeal.

Once I sit down Erica starts telling us about training.

"I want you both to become somewhat skilled in at least one weapon and don't overlook the other stations ,like the edible plants and fire building, they're equally as important" The thought of the arena and killing each other hits me again and I lose my appetite.

Marigold comes in and takes us to the elevator and we arrive to the training room almost as fast as she clicked the button, Emery and I step out and I already feel the eyes on us, my face gets hot and my stomach starts to tighten.

We stand in our assigned place and wait for the next tributes to arrive. I stand there with my hands placed awkwardly behind my back, trying to hide the fact that I'm so lanky and weak looking, I look around at the other tributes and my heart sinks, because all of them are twice my size. Each and every one of them has such a cold and malicious look in their eyes.

After being there from about 5 minuets the last tributes arrive and a woman with jet black hair explains to us what stations are available and then dismisses us. Most of the career tributes head straight to some of the most lethal looking weapons and other tributes ,including myself, just stand and walk around awkwardly for a bit.

I decide to go to the empty plant station first, the man there start to explain to me the basic signs to determine if a plant is poisonous or not and which plants can be use as healing remedies. After an hour there I memorized a good amount of plants and look over at the knife throwing station, wondering if I should go and try it out. there is about 3 other tributes there ,both from district 6 and the female tribute from 1.

I gather the courage to go and stand behind the seventeen year old from 1 and watch as she launches a knife and hits the throat on an electronically controlled moving target about thirty feet away, She does that four more times and then she steps aside and I step forward. I can my palms getting sweaty and I feel the eyes of the girl from 1 watching me and I hear both tributes from 6 whispering behind me.

I grab a throwing knife off the table next to me and I lift my wobbly arm and aim at the target that is standing still and about 12 feet away and let the knife go and it misses and hits the floor.

_fuck_ I say to myself and I hear the girl from 1 laugh and walk toward a different station.

I take a deep breath and pick up another knife and the woman at the station tells how to hold it and aim at the same target and throw it and it lands in the right shoulder of the target. Filled with excitement I step away from the station and let the tributes behind me try it out. The girl with long golden blond hair picks up a knife and throws it at the same target as I did and she hit it directly in the stomach and the throws another at a target about 20 feet away and hits it right in the chest.

She lets her partner try and she steps away, I'm about to walk away then she says

"Was that your first time?" surprised I turn around and respond nervously

"Umm yeah, yeah it was I wasn't very good, obviously"

"well you did better than most people, at least your knife went in the right direction"

"thanks" I say and I walk away.

_Wake up! Did she really just talk to me? _I think as I walk toward the rope climbing station.

Emery meets up with me at the station.

"Hey how's it going"

"Fine and you?"

"Alright"

I step forward and being to grab onto the spiderweb looking rope that reaches all the way to the ceiling. I grab onto it and put my foot on the rope and continue this until I'm about fifteen feet up and I slip and hit the mat on my ass. I get up and watch in anger as Emery starts and he climbs very fast actually and makes it to the top and carefully climbs down as well. I'll admit I was slightly jealous.

"Good job!" I congratulate him when he makes it down

"Thanks".

After that we head toward lunch, all the tributes have to eat in the same room which upset me a little. I sit alone at a table, I start to eat my soup with wild rice and than out of no where the girl from district 6 is in front of me.

"Hi do you mind if I sit here?"

"Oh um n-not at all"

"awesome" she takes a seat and sets her plate of food down and beings to eat.

For a few minuets we both sit there eating in silence, which was soon interrupted by the laughs of the careers who are sitting a couple of tables down.

"They're so arrogant" she says I let out little laugh

"They are the careers aren't they?"

"That's true, I'm Sierra by the way"

"I'm Kara"

"You're from district 5 right? I'm from 6 but I bet you knew that considering that my shirt has a giant 6 on the back"

"Yeah I sort of figured"

We talked a bit everybody went back to the training area and Sierra convinced me to try the spear throwing station, which I was hesitant on trying because I'm so weak and puny, but I gave into her begging and followed her.

Once there the guy from district 1 was there in line, he is very handsome with his dark hair and stunning blue eyes, Sierra and I both watch as he catapults a spear into a dummy's chest about 20 feet away. The spear pierces the dummy and my heart starts to pump rapidly, I'm so pathetic I say to myself then Sierra tells me to try and I slowly walk up and grab a metallic spear that is about four feet long, it's tips are pointed and the instructor that's in charge of the station shows me how to hold the weapon.

I aim at a dummy 10 feet away and throw and the spear lands in the dummies right thigh.

"Good job!" Sierra congratulates me as she grabs a spear herself and sends it flying at the same dummies and she hits it in the upper torso.

I stand there in shock and envy

"Yeah thanks. You're really..good at this"

"Thanks, it's my first time honestly"

We head to the knot tying station and stay there for the reminder of the day, mostly in silent.

When the announcer tells us that we will be heading up back to our rooms I go to find Emery.

We walk onto our floor and I go straight to my room and to the shower. I'm sweaty and exhausted, and take my time in the shower. I get dressed I head down to the dinning room for dinner and honestly I'm not hungry but I know have to eat because in a few days I'll be out in some arena wishing I had at least a piece of bread to eat.

At dinner I didn't really take part in the conversation, I just ate and tried my hardest not to think about the games. Once dinner is over I head to bed without saying a word to anyone.

Once in the silence of my own room my mind is immediately flooded with thoughts of my parents and my life back home. I missed the so much, it felt like a life time since I last saw them. I cry as I attempt to sleep and close my eyes and wish I would wake up to my normal life back in district 5. But it was only a wish, and I woke up sore with aching muscles and with the dread feeling of reality.

**I've been busy guys. Sorry to anyone, if anyone, who's reading. ill try my hardest to push myself write more and to get more chapters out. I'm starting school soon so that might slow me down a bit but none the less I'll try harder for you guys. Please leave any review or suggestions! I promise things will 10x more exciting when the games actually start. Keep reading!**


	7. Teams

I step out of the hot shower and dry myself off, I'm so sore I realize as my legs and abdomen ache. I stand in font of the large mirror, that's surprisingly steam proof, and notice some fairly large bruises on my legs and arms. My fingers trace the purple and green colored skin on the side of my leg, putting the slightest amount of pressure on it I cringe in pain.

I'm wearing a freshly cleaned outfit identical to what I wore yesterday, I decide to keep my hair down today. Heading down stairs only Emery is up and already serving himself a plate of food, I follow and grab a piece of bread spotted with nuts as oats and a side of fresh fruit and sit across from him.

"Tomorrow we're getting judged" he reminds me "anxious?"

"sort of, I'm not sure what I'll show yet" "me too" he responds softly

"you were talking to the girl from six yesterday"

"yeah she's nice, her name is Sierra"

Emery looks up at me and slowly, with a cautious tone, ask "are you guys allies?"

I notice a hint of jealously in his voice "no we haven't really discussed about that"

"alright" he replies and takes a seat at the table.

Erica and Marigold come down the stairs chatting about something and they're late, not like them to be late but Marigold tells us we should be heading down to the training three of us head to the elevator and once we arrive we head to our spot like yesterday to wait for the remaining tributes.

I glance around the room scanning the tributes, stopped when my eyes meet a pair of stunning blue eyes. I force my eyes to look away but I can't, I was almost mesmerized by the calming look the eyes had. The hypnotic state was broken when the eyes turn away quickly, I'm shocked to realize that they belonged to the boy from one, the tall handsome boy with dark hair and a face with gorgeous features that coexist perfectly with the pure almost innocent looking blue eyes that resembled pools of water.

After the woman at the arena goes over the rules and guidelines she dismisses us and we all go our own ways, Sierra walks by my side and we both head toward the camouflage instructor teaches us the basics about camouflage and how to look the most natural and inconspicuous, we both work at a pretty quick pace and it looks very believable to be honest.

We head to the knife throwing arena again to try to improve the little talent we had. I go first, remembering the way to hold the sharp object I lock my sight on a target about 25 feet away and throw it and it flies straight into the neck of the target. I try this about 5 more times and I surprised with my results.

I managed to hit 4 of the 5 targets and all were considered fatal injuries. But Sierra still surpassed my results she hit 7 of 10 targets and 6 of the 7 injuries where in the torso. I will admit I was angry but I ignored those emotions aside. At least she's an ally instead of an enemy.

Sierra and I talk about what to try next and she then suggest the archery station, I agree without hesitation and she goes first this time. the instructor tells her how to stand and the proper way of holding the bow and how to draw the string back.

Sierra has 6 electronic targets simulating moving humans. She managed to hit 2 of them are, both hits were considered non-fatal sadly.

"Your turn" she says as she moves aside,

The instructor goes through the same explanations and then I arm the bow with a sleek metallic arrow.

I calm myself with a few deep breaths, aim at the closet target, it's in a stance as if it's about to start running, I draw the bow-string and release it. The arrow pierces the targets chest right as it takes of running, the target disappears and I quickly reload the bow and shoot it at the next target about 20 feet away. After I shoot all my arrows I'm amazed to hear that I hit all 6 targets and 5 are fatal hits.

"Wow you're really good at that" Sierra congratulates me

"Thanks" I say while looking around and notice the gang of careers staring right at us, a few are mumbling and some are laughing, the boy from ones eyes meet mine for a second before I turn away.

Everybody goes to the lunch room to eat, today is different from yesterday due to the fact that me and Sierra aren't the only people, except for the careers, sitting in a small group. The boy from 10 is sitting at a table with the girl from 7 and both tributes from 11, they're laughing and observing the room and looking at all the tributes one by one, they're obviously a team.

Both tributes from 8 and both from 9 are siting together, ironically the youngest tribute is the girl from 8 she is thirteen years old and district 9's male tribute is one of two eighteen year olds in the games. Then there's me and Sierra, sitting at a table the farthest from the careers along with noise that comes from their table.

"Kara, are we planning on working together?" Sierra ask, breaking the awkward silence

"I'm not sure" I respond slowly "we can if you'd like to" I ask unsure of the answer

"There's safety in numbers, of course I would like to team up with you" a surge of relief and security runs through my body

"I would like that too".

We spend the remainder of lunch talking about plans and predictions about the games, such as who are the most dangerous looking tributes, and what type of arena there could be this year.

"Why aren't you teaming with the boy from your district?" I ask

"He and I never really got along back home, we never really talked much and when we did it was in arguments. I tried to give him a chance coming into this but he's much to stubborn"

"I understand".

We head back to the training arena and go to the healing and first aid station, which I found very important and interesting. The instructor taught us about remedies for burns, cuts, rashes, and insect bites. She also told us what types of plants could be substituted and where they could be found. Sierra and I worked at a slow pace to make sure we wouldn't forget and we also talked about life back home.

I told her about my parents, the power plant, how I was completely irrelevant back home, about Aspen. She shared that back home she was just an average girl, she seemed very normal. Her dad was a train mechanic, she also told be about her mothers death. Not much detail was said or how she died but she quickly changed the subject before I could ask.

Everybody was lining up to leave once we finished preparing the last remedy, Sierra and I said bye and I got into the elevator with Emery. The quick ride up was very quite. Was he angry with me? For what reason? I didn't do or say anything to him, or could that be it? Was it because I didn't team up with him?

I went to my room to shower before dinner and then dressed myself in a grey sweater and dark denim jeans. I head down for dinner and Everyone is there. we each start eating and chatting about the training. I tell them about the archery and my knife throwing results and they all congratulate me.

All seems good at the moment, Emery is talking about his knife combat station when out of no where he brings up Sierra.

"Kara you're teaming up with the tribute from 6?" Erica ask

"um yeah..I am"

Erica has a worried look to her as she hesitates to respond

"be careful, teams usually end up in sabotage. Remember there can only one victor"

"yeah Erica thanks, I'm aware of the consequences".

After the meal is finished I head to bed, I remove my jeans and sleep in the sweater. Throughout the night my mind repeats the phrase Erica said

"teams usually end in sabotage"

I manage to fall asleep after a while of ignoring the thoughts.

Today is the day. I say as I remember that today we receive our scores, 1-11 I think about my possibilities and try to guess my outcome.I shower fairly quickly and wear a new clear outfit that matches what I wore yesterday. Butterflies start to slowly appear in my stomach as I braid my hair and think about being watched and judged.

I go to breakfast and add sausage and eggs to my plate and sit down. I'm the first one up I realize. I being to eat, shortly after Erica and Emery come down to join.

"Nervous?"

Erica ask with an excited tone

"Yes I am actually" I answer

"don't be, just focus and you'll be set"

"thanks".

The phrase come back to mind, "teams usually end in sabotage" I think about something else before it starts to worry me.

Once Marigold gold escorts down to the training arena we are taken through a door that leads to a room with benches on both sides of the room, we're told to sit here and wait to be called down one by one, I look down at me shoes as I wait, Sierra and the boy from her district walk in and they both sit in from of us, I look up to her to give her a smile and she returns it. Once all the tributes arrive the Male tribute from one is called first, his name is Grant. I watch as he gets up and walks to the entrance with confidence, his blue eyes look at mine for a moment.

I think about messing up and looking like a fool, or what I'll show them. One by one the tributes are called, then the announcer calls Emery,

"good luck" I whisper as he gets up

"thanks" he says then he exits the room.

I start to tremble with fear my leg is shaking and try to take deep breaths. Sierra's eyes meet mine and she mouths the words"calm down"

I listen to her. I close my eyes and breath, after 10 minutes or so, the announcer calls my name. I stand up, still trembling with fear I start to walk toward the door leaving everyone behind.

I enter the training arena, this time,alone.

**long time since i updated. this chapters been finished for a while ive been too lazy to upload it sorry. i hope my dialogue is better, sorry i suck at dialogue :/ but ive been trying to do my best. your reviews really pushed my to try to improve my writing. anyway im back in school now and ill be really busy with homework but ill try my absolute best to write more often. im currently working on chapter 8. anyway i know these parts are boring but once the actual games start im hoping it gets more exciting. okay guys thanks for reading! and keep leaving reviews if you think i could improve on anything. **


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